Overwatch League star Matthew ‘super’ DeLisi is retiring from competitive play just ahead of the 2022 season.
super’s retirement marks the end of a four-year-long stay on the San Francisco Shock and the OWL, and means the org will be looking for someone to fill his spot before season 5 starts.
The now-former San Francisco player got his initial start in the league as a 17-year-old when he first signed with the Shock before he was even eligible to play. Later, he would become a critical part of the team’s success in their 2019 and 2020 championship wins.
A true legend retires today.
super has been a cornerstone to not only the Shock but also Overwatch esports as a whole. As of today, he will be stepping away from our competitive roster. Thank you, for 4 incredible seasons.#ShockFam forever 🧡 pic.twitter.com/XD2tpY39MW
— San Francisco Shock (@SFShock) March 27, 2022
Overwatch League loses one of its biggest stars
On top of his skill, super was often seen as the face of the OWL. With multiple appearances on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and his willingness to say what’s on his mind, the former OWL pro took on the role of being the voice for a lot of players.
“I guess I just wanted to just say thank you and I appreciate all your support over the past five years,” he said in the Shock’s video. “I will always appreciate everything that I’ve ever gotten to do over these five years.”
Thank you everyone ❤ pic.twitter.com/GEubCrbnro
— Matthew DeLisi (@super_OW) March 27, 2022
In a farewell letter posted to his Twitter, the Overwatch legend said his retirement was due to losing “the passion to compete.”
“I realized how much I had lost the passion to compete and how much it was wrecking me mentally and emotionally,” he wrote. “This was a decision that has loomed over me for a very long time now, and I feel this is something I have to do for myself.”
As for his future, super said he would “continue to stream and will still be supporting Shock in whatever capacity I can.”
It will also be interesting to see who San Francisco decides to bring on as super’s replacement, given that the start of the 2022 season is less than 2 months away at the time of the announcement.
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